Not Till We Are Lost: Bobiverse, Book 5

Man, I Love the Bobiverse ! Definitely in my top 2 Sci-Fi books / series (Old Man's War being the other). Buy the whole series, you won't be disappointed. I read some books in 1 day, just couldn't put them down.

This book is good fun! It has become completely overwhelmed with alternate POVs. The jumping around from person to person, timeline to timeline, planet to planet was enough to give me whiplash. Few of the alts were converted to one another until the last couple chapters, and it is more like a half dozen short stories were transkei shuffled together with a unification arc tagged onto the end. Still a good story, and all the pieces were fun, it was just the style that was hard for me to immerse myself in. We didn't spend long enough with any group to connect to them before jumping away.

Wow! Ohhhh! Wow! Man! Thanks DE Taylor for a friggintastic book! I loved every minute of this book! And yeah with Ray AwesomeSauce Porter added to the mix I couldn't be happier! So Thanks again to both of you! And as always the pop-cultural references fly! The Bob's are at it again! And it wasn't gettin' any easier! The old adage comes to mind 'practice makes perfect' unfortunately it really doesn't, but it might make 'em smarter, or at least it gives 'em new ideas, tangents to help work out problems! With a rogue AI, and yeah Faith is still out there, both needing to be dealt with! While Howard and his wife Britney are working with an intelligent race dubbed Dragons! And we finally get to find out what happened to Icarus and Daedalus are up to. It turns out they're up to a hella lot. But to find out just what that is, you're gonna hafta grab the book! Better yet get the audiobook so you to can enjoy Ray Porter's awesome vocal performance! Here's some quotes for ya: "...and all I’ve gotten for my trouble is a flat spot on my forehead with a brick texture.” "...but even as a posthuman computer, I had all the poetic talent of a hammer." “The eighties called. They want their joke back.”

I eagerly anticipated the latest Bobiverse installment, purchasing both Kindle and print editions—the latter destined for my bookshelf. Sadly, this proved to be the series' weakest entry. I abandoned it with roughly 20% remaining, deeming completion unworthy of my time. While the initial premise held promise, the narrative lacked a central plot. Instead, it meandered through the adventures of several Bobs, offering little novelty or intrigue. This is of course similar to the previous books, yet these Bobs’ journey felt akin to a filler episode of a beloved TV show: inconsequential. A few intriguing threads were introduced, only to lose pace or stall out. The majority of chapters detailed the mundane exploits of a couple Bobs and their companions on various planets, reminiscent of a similar, yet tedious, plot point from the previous book. I found myself reading merely for the sake of finishing, a task that ultimately proved too laborious. My disappointment is profound, as the Bobiverse has long been a favorite series. I even resisted the Audible version, preferring the immersive experience of reading. Alas, this time, the journey fell short. Edit: I finished the book this weekend. I’m changing my review to 5 stars. Sometimes

Mr Taylor brings us back into the Bobiverse with the same wry humor and nerdy science that made the previous entries in the series so entertaining. Numerous challenges for the Bobs near and far: Icarus and Daedalus are on a mission to explore the galactic core. On the way, they encounter a lost civilization that spans hundreds of light years across the galaxy. A puzzle because it does not appear they died out, looking more like they just got up and left. Back in near space, Bill, Will, Bob, Howard, and Garfield are dealing with an anti-replicant movement, and an emerging intelligent species that needs saving. Also the Skippies have gone rogue and may have unwittingly released something that could take them all down. All fun stuff. If you’re already a fan of this series, jump right in. If you are not, you will need to read up on at least some of the previous books to be able to understand many of the references and relationships between characters. The series starts with “We Are Legion”.

The plot lines are thick and full of intrigue. The author is a bit too heavy on the attempts at humor though. This would likely be less frustrating if he were a professional comedian but we get it, need cringe humor and all. It’s fun at times but can become incredibly distracting when it’s multiple attempts every single page. At some point you have the thought, “my god, just tell the story!” But the writing is palatable and good, without meandering too much other than the humor saddled quips that will eventually drive you insane if you’re focused on knowing what’s going on and not what anti-unique pun the Bobs will spin next. Seriously, a better title may be, “Not Till We Are Done with all the Puns” There are plenty of unique ideas explored however and moments that will have your brows rise in surprise. Much is standard science fiction with a bit of a spin, just enough of a tweak to keep it fresh. The characters are mostly entertaining and likable and there are plenty of plot lines to follow. You will either love it or hate it I guess. I found it about as good as the previous book and maybe even liked Heaven’s River a little more. There’s no question that the vibe moves much closer to the original trilogy of the Bob books which I’m sure many will appreciate. As a small aside, I truly do hope the publisher has learned from their mistake of publishing this as a time exclusive audiobook first. Forcing longtime fans to wait half a year simply because they prefer a focused, traditional read is just outrageous and doesn’t seem to have amounted to a successful strategy. I do recommend the book but definitely not if you haven’t read the ones that come before it

Book 5 of the Bobiverse is in the same vein as the previous 4 books...no disappointment or adjusting needed. Good, fun, reading.

I wasn't sure where he could go from here. After book four I felt it might be winding down. I was very wrong and already pacing for the 6th.

What an incredible book for bringing back the Bobiverse! Couldn’t put the book down through the weekend. I can’t wait for this series to continue (please)!

This is one of the BEST Bobbiverse books up to date. I strongly recommend It. I've read It fast and want more!

The Bobiverse books are a bit of a guilty pleasure. The stories are never challenging, but just present a fun adventure, with some science (sometimes speculative), some humour, some banter, lots of pop-culture references and some clever solutions to high-stakes problems. Or as a colleague described it: it's a hamburger book. Sure, it's no fancy meal, but sometimes I just want a good hamburger.

Dennis E Taylor has become one of my favourite authors. Read all his books but it started with Bobiverse book1. Like Mr Taylor's writing style and I admire his talent for keeping the story going. As a reader you do have to be able to keep the different strands of the story together & I enjoy that as a challenge, does not stop me enjoying the storyline and the humour. Well worth the price.

Excellent story and storytelling, fast and interesting all the way. Can't wait until the next installment and I hope the author never runs out !